Associations

APA Moves Meetings From Manchester Grand Hyatt

share

share

by Kaylee Hultgren |
March 10, 2010

The American Psychological Association is the latest group to protest the actions of San Diego hotel owner Doug Manchester, who contributed $125,000 toward the California Proposition 8 initiative banning gay marriage. The group will hold its annual convention of 14,000 attendees in San Diego this August at the San Diego Convention Center and several city hotels, including the Manchester Grand Hyatt. According to an APA spokesperson, the group is not calling for a boycott of the Hyatt, but wants to be respectful of all constituents' points of view. "We've heard from a number of members and our divisions requesting that meetings be moved out of the Hyatt to other facilities," said the spokesperson. "Our Council of Representatives, for example, voted to move the meeting from the Hyatt." The APA plans to honor the contract it has with the hotel, though whether the group fills the room block is to be determined. The spokesperson estimates that approximately 30 meetings will be moved from the hotel, incurring some additional expenses for the group. "The council felt like it was the right thing to do," she added, "because of the harm that is done to the gay and lesbian community by those types of initiatives. APA is in support of gay marriage; we believe marriage is a positive thing in peoples' lives and that gays and lesbians deserve that recognition." Kelly Commerford, marketing director for the Hyatt property, expects the group will fulfill its contracted obligations. In January, the American Historical Society protested Manchester's actions but still was able to fill 98 percent of its room block, Commerford said.

sponsored video

Where is the soul of Phoenix? It depends on whom you ask. Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza finds the soul of the city in the mural-adorned neighborhood that surrounds her celebrated Phoenix restaurant, Barrio Cafe.